What's next for Louisville basketball after loss to Michigan?
INDIANAPOLIS – Michigan's DJ Wilson tipped Donovan Mitchell's last-gasp 3-point attempt in the Wolverines' 73-69 Sunday win over Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the clock ran out on Louisville's 2016-17 season.
Mitchell's teammates dispersed, most of them hustling off the floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Photographers and cameramen jostled for position to capture the chaos from closer range.
Mitchell, U of L's 6-foot-3 sophomore star guard, untucked his jersey and looked up into the crowd in the arena's highest reaches with wide-eyed wonderment. He sighed. He put his hands over his head. And he walked off the court deeply disappointed he and the second-seeded Cardinals had fallen short of their goal of reaching the Final Four in his first trip to the Big Dance.
Now Louisville begins the process of preparing to do it all over again. The 2017-18 season started Monday for the Cards, a little earlier than they would have liked. With one of the nation's top 10 recruiting classes coming in and coach Rick Pitino not anticipating any transfer movement, Mitchell is by far the biggest piece in U of L's puzzle.
If Mitchell is among the returning players on Pitino's team, Louisville would likely be one of the top two or three squads in college basketball to start next season and perhaps the favorite to win the ACC. In that scenario, the Cards would have four starters and seven of their top eight scorers back, in addition to three of ESPN's top 100 prospects in the 2017 high school class and a fourth, combo forward Lance Thomas, just outside the top 100.
"It's definitely going to be a scary sight," Mitchell said.
After a breakout season that earned him All-ACC first-team and defensive-team honors, Mitchell is projected as a first-round NBA draft pick, but his comments in interviews after Sunday's game implied he may be leaning toward returning to school for his junior season.
Mitchell's mother, Nicole, politely declined an interview request Monday. She said earlier this month that their family would have discussions about her son's future in the days and weeks following the season. Each U of L player typically has his end-of-season conversation with Pitino a day or two after the team's final game, too.
The NBA draft early-entry deadline for underclassmen is April 23, but there is flexibility to it. A player with remaining college eligibility doesn't have to make a final stay-or-go decision until May 24, 10 days after the last day of the draft combine.
MORE U OF L COVERAGE
► Adel, Mahmoud, Mithell quiet on NBA decision
► CardsHQ podcast: A hoops season in review
► Quentin Snider fails to score for first time this season
► Michigan edges Louisville in second round
► Deng Adel dunks over Michigan player
► Source: Jordan Fair to replace Balado on Louisville staff
► Balado on Pitino: 'I love him like a father'
► Instant Analysis: Michigan 73, Louisville 69
► ON THE GO? Download the CJ app for iPhone, Android and iPad
► FOLLOW US: Watch the latest featured video on YouTube
Mitchell could go through the process and return to U of L. Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Josh Hart (Villanova), Nigel Hayes (Wisconsin), Justin Jackson (North Carolina) and Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) all participated in the combine last year but decided to stay in college.
As for Deng Adel, Mitchell's close friend and roommate, it seems almost certain he will return to U of L for his junior year. He said Sunday he would talk with his family and Pitino before deciding if he'd like to test the pro waters, but he added that he has "a lot to work on."
Adel was inconsistent this season but still put together one of Louisville's best stat lines. Then, in the final six games of the season, the 6-7 wing thrived, averaging 16.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest. He shot 53.8 percent from the field over that stretch, including 40.9 percent from 3-point range. He also made 19 of his final 22 free throws.
Like Mitchell, Adel was excited at the prospect of Louisville's potential next season with its heaviest hitters on the roster again.
"We have a lot of great freshmen coming in, and a lot of these guys are coming back," Adel said. "This hurts us right now ... but the plan is for everybody to come back and make a deeper run next year."
Adel and Mitchell, who combined to average 27.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, would form the perimeter core with point guard Quentin Snider.
Snider was productive as a junior, averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 assists per game. Wing V.J. King and guard Ryan McMahon figure to play larger roles next season, too, and top-75 prep guard Darius Perry gives U of L a backup for Snider, who is more comfortable playing point guard than graduating fifth-year senior Tony Hicks.
Don't forget that Dwayne Sutton, a transfer from UNC Asheville, will be eligible next season. A 6-5 wing who played at Manual High, Sutton averaged 12 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a freshman at Asheville and has impressed his coaches and teammates in practices.
In the frontcourt, Louisville loses center Mangok Mathiang but expects to have forwards Jaylen Johnson and Ray Spalding and centers Anas Mahmoud and Matz Stockman back, though Pitino suggested Stockman, a 7-foot junior, could redshirt next campaign.
The Cards also have three frontcourt players coming in. Malik Williams, a 6-11 stretch center and consensus top-30 recruit, is a candidate for significant playing time and potentially a starting spot. Thomas and sharpshooting combo forward Jordan Nwora give U of L's frontcourt more versatility.
That solid bunch is why Pitino speaks so highly of his team's 2017-18 chances, and why Louisville expects to play another tough slate of opponents.
"I already can't wait," Mahmoud said.
2017-18 SCHEDULE TIP-INS
Expected non-conference opponents: At Kentucky; home vs. Grand Canyon and Indiana; Memphis in New York; and the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Conference games: (Home-and-home opponents) Florida State, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech; (home opponents) Boston College, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Syracuse and Wake Forest; (road opponents) Clemson, Duke, Miami, NC State and Notre Dame.